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Woodwind quintet to give next HBPA concert

NORTH NEWTON, KAN. – The second group of performers in the 2008-09 Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series will also present a convocation and master class at Bethel College.

The Lieurance Woodwind Quintet will give the second concert of the series Sunday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m. in Hesston Mennonite Church.

In addition, the quintet will be in residence at Bethel College Monday, Nov. 24, presenting convocation at 11 a.m. and a master class with Bethel College and Hesston College students at noon. Both events will take place in Krehbiel Auditorium of the Fine Arts Center and are free and open to the public.

The Lieurance Woodwind Quintet has firmly established its reputation in the Midwest as a premiere chamber ensemble. More than a regional quintet, the group maintains an active teaching and performing schedule, including concerts, radio broadcasts, seminars and workshops at home and abroad. The quintet’s Hesston performance features works by Ferenc Farkas, Carl Nielsen, Elliott Carter, Samuel Barber and Malcolm Arnold.

“HBPA has developed a tradition of dedicating one concert each year to a premiere musical act from right here in Kansas,” said series chair Matt Schloneger. “Our state is home to some world-class talent, and we’re excited to present a group that has consistently received national and international acclaim for the quality of its work. They’ll present an exciting program that contains a lot of variety for music lovers of all types.”

The Lieurance Woodwind Quintet takes its name from Thurlow Lieurance, a Kansas composer and noted historian of Native American music, who served as the first dean of the College of Fine Arts at Wichita State University. The members of the quintet serve as faculty artists at WSU and also as principal players in the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Quintet members are Frances Shelly, flute; Andrea Bank, oboe; Suzanne Tirk, clarinet; Nicholas Smith, horn; and Scott Oakes, bassoon.

The ensemble has been received enthusiastically, concertizing at major musical venues including the Library of Congress and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.; the Merkin and Carnegie Recital Halls in New York City; Composers, Inc. in San Francisco; and throughout Europe and Central America. The Lieurance Woodwind Quintet is a 1989 recipient of the Kansas Governor’s Arts Award.

The HBPA program is presented in part by the Kansas Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

Season tickets range from $60 to $70. King’s Singers tickets range from $19 to $23 with all other concerts individually priced between $14 and $17. Discounts are available to students and senior citizens. Free child care is available to patrons who request the service in advance. Call 620-327-8158 for tickets or to arrange child care or call 316-284-5205 for tickets only.

Back to News NORTH NEWTON, KAN. – The second group of performers in the 2008-09 Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series will also present a convocation and master class at Bethel College. The Lieurance Woodwind Quintet will give the second concert of the series …